NCJ Number
226397
Journal
Legal and Criminological Psychology Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2009 Pages: 135-147
Date Published
February 2009
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the relative value of direct questions, open-ended questions, and mixed questions in eliciting accurate statements from young children about a known episode.
Abstract
As expected, when interviewed about an episodic event, the older children produced more words, and made fewer non-prompted omission errors than younger children. The different types of questions (direct, open, and mixed) had the expected main effect. Direct question elicited the fewest words from the children, followed by mixed. Open questions elicited the most words. Direct questions have the advantage of cueing and focusing the witness so that questions of particular interest can be answered. However, they produce more errors than open questions. Direct and mixed question sequences produced more errors of commission than open questions. Mixed questions, especially cued invitations, were found to be a useful alternative for obtaining specific content when open questions alone were not sufficient. In summary, support was found for the technique of pairing direct and open questions in a mixed question style. The cued invitation, where previous information provided by the child constitutes the direct portion of the mixed question, was found to be superior to other types of mixed questions. The proper interviewing of children who may have witnessed an episode has been the focus of considerable concern and research. This study was conducted to evaluate the relative value of direct questions, open-ended questions, and mix questions in eliciting both quantity and quality of statements from young children. Fifty children, with 25 aged 5 to 7 years and 25 aged 10 to 12 years, were interviewed concerning a standardized experience the previous week. Tables and references